Medical devices and instruments need to be sterilized prior to being used in surgical procedures. Sterilization reduces the risk of infection from microbes that may be present on the medical devices and instruments. One of the most commonly used sterilization techniques involves placing the objects that need to be sterilized in a container and then heating the container with the enclosed objects to a temperature and for a time sufficient to kill any present microbes.
Flash sterilization refers to using steam to sterilize the objects in the sterilization container. During flash sterilization unwrapped medical devices and instruments are exposed to steam for a certain time and then are used in surgical procedures.
A typical flash sterilization container includes an open base portion, a tray and a lid portion. The objects to be sterilized are placed in the tray, and then the tray is placed in the base portion. Next, the lid is placed on top of the base portion opening and is secured to the base portion. A vent is usually incorporated either on the lid portion and/or the base portion. The vent allows pumping out and injecting gasses into the closed container. The vent usually also includes a filter that prevents microbes from exiting the closed container.
The vent usually includes an aperture formed in the vent carrying component and a valve placed in the aperture. The valve is usually a mechanical valve that includes elastomeric sealing materials. The elastomeric sealing materials have the tendency of developing leaks after several sterilization cycles. Furthermore, the prior art valves include several mechanical components that need to be precisely dimensioned in order to provide a good seal. Furthermore, the reaction time for opening and closing these mechanical valves is usually long for today's flash sterilization purposes. Accordingly, an improved valve mechanism is desirable for providing fast flash sterilization of medical devices and instruments.